Greg Newport Wins South Carolina State Championship Tune-Up With Two Impressive Final Rounds
22 September 2001 - Rock Hill, S.C. - After beginning the day in tenth place after the first round, Greg Newport made a massive charge toward the end with final rounds of 23 and 24 to capture his fourth win of the season. Newport grabbed the South Carolina State Championship tune-up event title with a commanding three-shot victory over Billy Caudle and Frank Warren in a field of 39 players trying to grab the final remaining spots for Sunday's annual State Championship in Rock Hill.
Greg Newport playing in the 2000 PPA National Championship in Fayetteville, N.C.
Frank Warren would be the man to beat after the first round of action with a 22 to lead by one shot over Caudle, who finished tied for third at 79 the last time the tour played on Course 1 just three weeks ago. For once, there were lots of low scores after the first round, in which nine players shot 10-under par 26 or better. More low scores were on tap for the second round as Greg Ward, who won the last event in Rock Hill three weeks ago, tied Warren for the lead at 49. Newport and Caudle would be one off the pace and Tony Jackson would be two back of the lead.
Newport's 23, coupled with the final round 24, gave him a final score of 74. The winning score is the third lowest winning score shot in a South Carolina tournament this season. Scores in the final round were consistently higher as conditions warmed up during the afternoon with temperatures hovering in the mid-'80s. Caudle and Warren maintained their second place finish at 77, despite final rounds of 28 and 29, respectively. Jackson would tie Rick Baird, Mike Brown, and Peter Neumann for the fourth position at 79.
In the APA Division, they began their six-round State Championship on Saturday with the first three rounds played that day. Defending champion Tommy Hutchinson has found himself with a little work behind him as he trails co-leaders Brian Hutchins and William Glisson by four shots. Hutchins, who won eight times this year on the tour, half of those in Rock Hill, and the 2001 APA Player of the Year, is going for his second state title in the last three seasons, while Glisson has yet to win one for himself. Hutchinson is trying to win for a fourth time in the last six years. Full results of the event will be posted on Sunday's report.
With the regular season ending on Saturday, ironically, Newport won the 2001 debut in Anderson and the one on Saturday to close the season. Ward won the PPA Player of the Year by a wide margin over Robert Johnson. It was his fourth Player of the Year, and the third in the last four years. The final three qualifying spots of the tournament came from Bob Jackson, Gary Benfield, and Robert Ward, who received a huge gift with an ace on 18, after playing partner Opie Roberts had a chance to clinch the final spot himself with a deuce on 18. Roberts wound up four-tapping the hole, and Ward made it behind him to clinch the final spot by one shot, leaving Roberts eliminated from playing on Sunday.
The South Carolina tour also fielded its Clayton Cup team that will play in Spartanburg next month. The team consists of Robert Johnson and Darrell Britt (co-captains), Greg Ward, Tony Jackson, Todd Fowler, Michael Hitt, Tony Varnadore, Frank Warren, Andy Coradini, and Gary English. These will be the ten players that will attempt to win the Cup for the second straight season and are considered once again heavy favorites for the Cup.
The South Carolina tour will play its State Championship on Course 1, this Sunday, September 23, at 9:00am. Randal Smith is the defending champion of the event. The APA will complete its final three rounds on Sunday and will tee off after the Pros start out their championship.
Recap and Scores provided by Opie Roberts.
Professional Division of Rock Hill, S.C. Event (22 September 2001)
Round
Prize Player 1 2 3 Total Money 1 Greg Newport 27 23 24 74 $150.00 2 Billy Caudle 23 27 27 77 $95.00 Frank Warren 22 27 28 77 $95.00 4 Rick Baird 25 29 25 79 $66.00 Mike Brown 27 26 26 79 $66.00 Tony Jackson 26 25 28 79 $66.00 Peter Neumann 27 25 27 79 $66.00 8 Lewis Burton 26 28 26 80 $53.00 Greg Ward 25 24 31 80 $53.00 10 Bob Jackson 28 25 28 81 $50.00 11 Gary Moore 28 26 28 82 $45.00 Tony Pack 30 24 28 82 $45.00 13 Gary Benfield 29 26 28 83 $40.00 Andy Coradini 28 27 28 83 $40.00 15 Robert Johnson 27 27 30 84 $35.00 16 Ray Guthrie 26 30 29 84 $35.00 Jay Klapper 26 29 30 85 $35.00 Jimmy Mott 29 29 27 85 $35.00 Robert Ward 30 26 29 85 $35.00 20 Todd Barfield 27 28 31 86 Chris Bunting 28 31 27 86 Edgar Hollifield 28 29 29 86 Opie Roberts 32 25 29 86 24 Gary English 26 30 31 87 Alan Quinnelly 32 25 30 87 Rick Rybaczek 31 28 28 87 Tony Varnadore 27 28 32 87 28 Michael Hitt 29 30 29 88 29 Tommy Barbour 28 30 31 89 Allen Wall 30 33 26 89 31 Kevin Chambers 32 33 25 90 Brad Lebo 28 32 30 90 33 Jonathan Reid 29 27 35 91 34 Darrell Britt 31 31 30 92 Mike Flavin 30 32 30 92 36 Peter Ansbacher 34 31 28 93 37 Brian Martin 28 34 32 94 Randy Reeves 28 35 31 94 39 Todd Fowler 32 29 34 95
